All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has described his side’s record in Wellington, where they have not won since 2018, as something he is “not proud of”.
The challenge for Robertson and the All Blacks now, in a dead Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship rubber against the Wallabies, is to change that with an 80-minute performance on Saturday that his side have not been able to manage all year.
It should be noted that the record in the capital is not all the doing of Robertson, who is just over mid-way through his first year with the All Blacks, but it should be said too that the former Crusaders supremo has yet to preside over a complete performance with the national team beyond the victory over Fiji, now ranked ninth in the world.
After two close wins at home over England, the All Blacks thrashed Fiji before splitting two games against Argentina, losing two close Tests in South Africa, and limping home against the Wallabies in Sydney to retain the Bledisloe Cup.
Clearly, the All Blacks aren’t far away from clicking but the proximity to a near perfect effort may make the recent near misses all the more frustrating.
And the fact remains that Robertson was in charge of a side that led 20-15 against the Pumas at the Cake Tin before they lost 38-30. Another is that the All Blacks’ final quarter woes in the Rugby Championship were extended in Sydney to include the entirety of the second half.
After scoring four tries within 25 first-half minutes at Accor Stadium, the All Blacks scored only three more points (thanks to a Damian McKenzie penalty in the second half).
Asked today how important it was to put in a “statement” performance on Saturday, Robertson said: “It's really important. It’s something we’ve addressed. It’s something we’re well aware of, like the rest of the New Zealand public.
“It’s a record that we’re not proud of. The way you deal with records is by performances and that’s been our main focus this week – a good performance and something the crowd and New Zealand can be proud of.”
The All Blacks last won at the Cake Tin in 2018, a victory over France following Benjamin Fall’s red card for taking out Beauden Barrett in the air.
Since then they have drawn against the Boks, lost to the Boks and lost to the Wallabies (in 2020, the last time Australia won in New Zealand), and drawn against the Aussies before losing to the Pumas last month.
In his never-ending search for the perfect performance, and with the Northern tour in mind, Robertson has not surprisingly gone for Beauden Barrett in the No. 10 jersey ahead of McKenzie, who, while he had a mixed performance last weekend, was due a rest after starting all eight Tests this year.
“We always planned on giving Beauden a go,” Robertson said. “He [McKenzie] has started every game until now. He’s shown some great form but we’ve got to give guys opportunities and build depth in our team. It’s a chance for Beauden to play outside TJ [Perenara].
"They’ve got a combination, they’ve played a lot of games together and they’ve played a lot of games together at the Cake Tin, so it lines up nicely."
What about McKenzie? “He’s had a great season to date,” said Robertson. "There are areas he can better at – he has to come on and be DMac. He’s created a lot for us, he’s one of the highest line breakers in the comp, he can wave a wand and take a gap, so he can also come on and game-manage and do what we need to do to finish a match."
That has clearly been an issue so far this year and so McKenzie’s finishing skills on Saturday will be closely watched.
Speaking of which, Barrett’s selection adds a touch of irony to the fact that Wayne Smith, a former All Blacks first-five, has taken a hands-on approach this week after having more of a mentor-at-large role over the previous two months.
But it may be that Smith has been coaching the coaches more than the players, or at the very least observing the coaches and how they communicate with each other and the players.
“Just observing,” Robertson said of Smith. “He’s been sending a few messages, as he does. He loves a review. Sunday mornings … and that’s great, just little observations, he’s been there and done it. As he mentioned, he’s had the job a couple of times. He knows the enormity of the job.”
And what, exactly, does Robertson want to see from Barrett?
“I want to see Beauden Barrett -131 Tests. He’s a great conductor, he’ll get you around the field… it’s important that we have two world class 10s.”
After two wins and three defeats in the Rugby Championship which have ruled the All Blacks out of winning that trophy but ruled them in as far as the Bledisloe Cup is concerned, there are positives for Robertson and company.
Chief among them has been the blooding of several new recruits, including Ratima and flanker Wallace Sititi. Another is the number of line breaks the All Blacks have made – the most of any team in the competition, according to Robertson.
The All Blacks could, as Robertson conceded today, have won every Test this year, but for a lapse in skill execution, especially late in games.
“We’ve got to have the courage to throw [the pass] and put the ball on the chest, but execute it. We’ve owned it – that’s the first thing about learning and doing it over and over and trust your skill.
“We could have won every Test match… but we’ve still got to own it.”
All Blacks team to play Wallabies
Sky Stadium, Saturday, kick-off 7.05pm
1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Scott Barrett (c), 5. Tupou Vaa’i, 6. Wallace Sititi, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Ardie Savea, 9. TJ Perenara, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Will Jordan.
Reserves: 16. Asafo Aumua, 17. Tamaiti Williams, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Patrick Tuipulotu, 20. Luke Jacobson, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Damian McKenzie, 23. David Havili.
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